10 Forgotten Hidden Gems From WWE NXT

2. Antonio Cesaro Vs. Adrian Neville - April 24, 2013

Rob Van Dam Neville NXT
WWE.com

If you started watching NXT after Arrival in February 2014, you merely received a small taste of what Cesaro accomplished on the black-and-yellow brand. While a part of the main roster, he frequently appeared on NXT and mixed it up with the talent of tomorrow, most notably Sami Zayn.

But before he and Zayn kicked off their near-year long rivalry, Cesaro clashed with Neville on the Apr. 24, 2013 edition of NXT, which was billed as a "Clash of Champions". Every main roster belt, with the exception of the two world titles, was up for grabs, including Cesaro's United States Championship.

It may not have seemed like Neville had much of a fighting chance given it was rare that a WWE title changed hands on the developmental program, but he had glimmers of hope against the Swiss Superman by pulling everything out of his arsenal. They worked extraordinarily well together and produced a fast-paced clash that saw both men bring the best out of each other.

Neville was on the verge of victory on a few occasions, yet was ultimately unsuccessful in his championship aspirations. But he proved even in defeat that his future in NXT was undoubtedly bright.

Contributor
Contributor

Since 2008, Graham has been a diehard pro wrestling fan and, in 2010, he combined his passions for WWE and writing when he joined Bleacher Report. Equipped with a master's in journalism, Graham has contributed to WhatCulture, FanSided's Daily DDT, Sports Betting Dime, and GateHouse Media. Along the way, he has conducted interviews with wrestling superstars like Chris Jericho, Edge, Goldberg, Christian, Diamond Dallas Page, Jim Ross, Adam Cole, Tessa Blanchard, Ryback, and Nick Aldis among others.